The state could sue under the California Environmental Quality Act or its federal equivalent, said Newsom, utilizing a common tactic to delay or kill all sorts of development projects around the state.

"There’s something called CEQA in California — NEPA at the federal level,” Newsom said. “There’s indigenous lands and autonomies relating to governance on those lands. There are all kinds of obstructions as it relates to just getting zoning approval and getting building permits. All those things could be made very, very challenging for the administration.”

Backers of a recent tobacco tax initiative ballot have agreed to pay a $2,500 fine for failing to identify that billionaire Tom Steyer was a major funder of the campaign in a YouTube video that urged voters to support the measure, according to documents released Monday.

Proposition 56, approved by California voters in November, raises California’s tobacco tax by $2 per pack. The largest donor was liberal hedge fund billionaire Steyer, who has been considering a run for governor in 2018. Steyer gave $11.5 million of the more than $30 million raised to support the measure.

That was reported by the campaign in filings with the state. But, state campaign finance rules also require campaign videos to disclose the top two donors to the campaign paying for the ads.

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Jan. 9, 2017, 11:51 a.m.

Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) is hoping a comment from President-elect Donald Trump during the campaign is a sign that the lawmaker's idea -- letting people brought to the U.S. illegally as children earn citizenship through military service -- might have a chance.

Jan. 9, 2017, 11:48 a.m.

A couple of years ago, Rob Pyers was unemployed and living off severance after being laid off from a job at Walgreens. Today, from his one-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood, Pyers helms the California Target Book, one of the most trusted almanacs of state politics.

Pyers, 41, originally came to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a screenwriter. But he has quickly become an ultimate insider in the often-opaque world of campaign finance. His passion for organizing massive amounts of data has transformed the Target Book and made his Twitter feed a go-to resource for some of Sacramento's top operatives.

Everything he knows about data science and computer coding he's taught himself over the last two years, through hours of online tutorials and trial and error.

Ahead of his first confirmation hearing Tuesday, state attorney general nominee Rep. Xavier Becerra has assured legislators that he will be a strong force to counter the policies of President-elect Donald Trump, including opposing proposals for mass deportations and a registry of Muslim immigrants.

In a letter released Saturday, Becerra defended California's many programs to help immigrants in the country illegally get driver's licenses, college financial aid and legal assistance in fighting deportation orders.

"All of these policies and programs are representative of California's values as a welcoming state," Becerra wrote to members of an Assembly committee set to take up his nomination Tuesday.

Jan. 7, 2017, 3:00 a.m.

In many ways, it was a decision that said more about what could be on the horizon than what's happening now: The former U.S. attorney general in the legal and political corner of Democrats in the California Legislature.

We also preview the 2017 legislative session, where a mix of new and familiar fights are in store. And we discuss the state of play for women in California politics and government, with a show of force in one major city but setbacks in Sacramento.

Jan. 6, 2017, 2:28 p.m.

An award-winning student painting that depicted a police officer as an animal had hung on the walls of Congress for months. (Congressional Art Competition)

The spot where the painting once hung. (Lisa Mascaro / Los Angeles Times)

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) pulled down a controversial painting that portrayed a police officer as a wild boar from a wall in the U.S. Capitol.

The artwork, painted by a Missouri high school senior, was on display as part of the national Congressional Art Competition. In the painting, the officer is pointing a gun at a protester, who is also depicted as an animal.

Hunter, a retired Marine, told Fox News that the painting made him angry and he decided to pull it off the wall. On Friday, he brought the painting to the office of Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.), who sponsored the national Congressional Art Competition in his state.